The first step was a self-recorded monologue. Months later, 20 learners watched their completed screen work on the big screen as Curro Create closed its second #Acting4Film programme with the 2026 screening and awards ceremony on 23 September.

The project drew 434 entries from 11 schools across five regions this year. Learners chose prescribed monologues, rehearsed their interpretations and submitted their first auditions before the field was narrowed to the Top 40 and eventually the 20 finalists.

By the time those finalists reached the professional shoot, the scale had changed considerably.

 

 

Four days on a professional set

Filming took place at Atlantic Studios over four shoot days, with a 35-person production crew. The finalists worked alongside 29 professional co-actors and three learner co-actors, generating 41 hours of footage.

Among the professional performers involved were Vinette Ebrahim, Veronique Jephtas, Amalia Uys, David Viviers, Natasha Sutherland, Sanda Shandu, Emily Child and Faniswa Yisa.

The shoot again used Filmscape’s Volume, a 32 m × 6 m curved LED wall that surrounds much of the set. The technology allowed learners to see the digital environment around them as they performed, with lighting and reflections supplied by the virtual scene and camera tracking adjusting the perspective as the camera moved.

For young performers, that meant learning to work inside a production environment built specifically for screen acting.

 

 

A new category for experienced performers

Curro Create launched #Acting4Film in 2025 with 409 entries and 15 learners reaching the professional filming stage. This year, a new Shooting Stars category expanded the final cohort to 20.

The category was created for learners in Grades 8 to 12 who already have professional film or television experience. Its five finalists were Annabella Stam and Judi Hattingh of Curro Durbanville, Koni Mtshizana of Curro Vanderbijlpark, Lilibeth Bazuin of Windhoek Gymnasium and Morgan Bell of Curro Century City. They received additional studio time and longer sessions with co-actors, the director and crew.

Penny Youngleson, Creative Head: Curro Create, says the broader purpose of the programme reaches into the skills learners carry with them after filming ends.

‘Ultimately, we want all of our learners to feel empowered to pursue any career or dream they may have - whether that leads them into the film and television industry or not. The skills they are learning on projects like #Acting4Film (analysis, empathy, group work, task triage, discipline, punctuality, communication, lengthy timelines where they set their own KPIs for improvement) are all transferable to any career they end up pursuing. Our hope is that they will learn these lessons while having fun with their friends, feeling safe and nurtured and making memories that will keep them motivated across the next few decades of their lives.’

She adds: ‘They don’t have to prove anything to us: we already know they are talented and worthy. But watching them unfurl into a version of their future selves within the safety of “play” is the true treasure of our programmes.’

 

 

What can happen after the final screening

The project’s first year has already produced one example of how this exposure can fit into a young performer’s development.

Judi Hattingh, the inaugural YoungStars winner and Curro Create’s Actor of the Year, later joined the cast of kykNET soap Suidooster as Jenna Ferreira. In 2026, she returned to #Acting4Film as a Shooting Stars finalist and placed second in the category.

This year’s category winners were Annabella Stam in Shooting Stars, Gerlo Hattingh in The YoungStars, Mukhethwa Masakona in The Rising Stars and Notsile Nkumane in The Stars.

Ominathi Khumalo of Grantleigh received the ‘Here’s looking at you, kid!’ Award for professionalism and industry readiness. Cecilia Wesson of Curro Durbanville Primary School received the 2026 Curro Create Award for Excellence in Drama Teaching, while Luca Human of Curro Durbanville High School was named 2026 Curro Create Creative of the Year.

For the 20 finalists, the ceremony closed a process that began months earlier with a monologue recorded for an audition. By September, that work had travelled through mentorship, a professional set and a full production before appearing on the big screen in front of an audience.

 

 

#Acting4Film Awards

Shooting Stars

• 1st: Annabella Stam, Grade 8, Curro Durbanville High School
• 2nd: Judi Hattingh, Grade 8, Curro Durbanville High School
• 3rd: Morgan Bell, Grade 12, Curro Century City High School

 

 

The YoungStars

• 1st: Gerlo Hattingh, Grade 5, Curro Durbanville Primary School
• 2nd: Sabelosethu Vilakazi, Grade 6, HeronBridge College Primary School
• 3rd: Sloane Conradie, Grade 6, Curro Durbanville Primary School

 

 

The Rising Stars

• 1st: Mukhethwa Masakona, Grade 10, Northern Academy Secondary School
• 2nd: Ominathi Khumalo, Grade 10, Grantleigh High School
• 3rd: Leonie Zimmerman, Grade 9, Curro Durbanville High School

 

 

The Stars

• 1st: Notsile Nkumane, Grade 11, The King’s School Linbro Park High School
• 2nd: Kelebogile Ntsoelengoe, Grade 12, Curro Krugersdorp High School
• 3rd: Jared Meyer, Grade 12, Curro Klerksdorp High School

 

 

Special awards

• ‘Here’s looking at you, kid!’ Award for professionalism and industry readiness: Ominathi Khumalo, Grantleigh High School
• 2026 Curro Create Award for Excellence in Drama Teaching: Cecilia Wesson, Curro Durbanville Primary School
• 2026 Curro Create Creative of the Year Award: Luca Human, Curro Durbanville High School